


we're the ones who made it out

by eliestarr



Series: in our bedroom after the war [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Flash Forward, M/M, Mistletoe, New Years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-23 22:50:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13200234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliestarr/pseuds/eliestarr
Summary: You’d think spending Christmas and New Years cooped up in a safe house with his best friends, the new beta and a little girl would be the worst way to spend the holidays, but Liam’s okay with it, honestly.At least until the mistletoe incident that almost screws everything up.





	we're the ones who made it out

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Skaboom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skaboom/gifts).



> written as a belated Christmas gift for the lovely Emily ❤

There's something flickering in the distance, a faint blue and green that glows and pulses throughout the old shopping district they’re driving through. It’s late, very late, which means everyone’s safely tucked into their beds and the lights are out. Well, _most_ of them, apparently. It makes Liam wary, and he grows tense the closer they get to their destination, running through all of the scenarios that could be the cause of it. His fingers drum a nervous beat on his thigh.

Theo obviously has his own concerns—he’s silent for once, and focused, grip so tight on the wheel his knuckles are turning white. They’re supposed to fly as far under the radar as possible while they’re here, looking into rumors that a few omegas had settled here two weeks ago, on the run from one of Monroe’s hunter cells. Argent had picked this place to hide in plain sight, in the thick of the shopping district, where they could come and go with a crowd. The only drawback was that it was directly above a Christmas store, apparently.

Despite that, nothing could have prepared them for the sight that greeted them when they finally turned the corner.

“Holy shit!” Liam exclaims, grin lighting up his face. “Did Rudolph throw up everywhere?”

Theo lets out an annoyed huff, hands tightening on the wheel. There’s Christmas lights everywhere, strewn all over the outside of the old brownstone they’d chosen as a safe house. It looked as though someone had simply dropped them there in a hurry—no rhyme or reason as far as they could tell, except to be as garish as possible. One string’s even dangling off the _Holiday Shoppe_ sign out front, making it lopsided.

They may as well have hung a giant neon display that said _“Hey, hunters, we’re right here! Look at us!”_

“Did you have something to do with this?” Theo asks, voice tight as he pulls into the alley next to the townhouse. He undoes his seatbelt, gaze still fixed on the building in spite of the glare.

Liam snorts. “Please. I have _some_ taste.”

The chimera gives him a sidelong look, mouth curling up in a half-smile, not saying a word. He doesn’t need to, not when the werewolf catches his look and rolls his eyes good-naturedly.

“Come on,” he says, unfastening his own seatbelt. “Guess we’d better go find out why the guys wanted our safe house seen from outer space.”

Theo follows close behind, still smiling to himself and content, apparently, to let Liam take the lead just this once. The beta wishes it were for something more important than scolding their friends about the definition of laying low, but he’ll take it. They take the side entrance in and find the culprit almost immediately—Alec’s in the middle of plugging in another set.

He smiles when he catches sight of them—or, well, Liam anyway—and straightens up, ignoring Theo the way that he usually does. There’s a slight tick to the chimera’s jaw. Liam thinks this is getting old.

“Nice decorations,” the taller man says mildly, forcing the younger wolf to acknowledge him. “Very...festive.”

Alec gives him a tight little smile before his attention switches back to Liam, and it widens, becoming far more genuine. “I thought the kid might like them.” He jerks his head towards Lea, who’s hovering in the doorway, eyeing Alec like he’s grown a second head.

The six-year-old doesn’t return his smile, but she certainly returns Theo’s as the chimera starts towards her with a grin. He reaches down, plucks her off her feet, and swings her up into his arms, rubbing his stubble against her face just to make her giggle and squirm. “Hey, short stuff!”

Liam watches them indulgently for a few moments, reminiscing.

Scott had shown up with her eight months ago, the same way he had Alec the year before. He and Derek had found her whole pack cut down in Montana after they’d spent weeks trying to find them before Monroe’s hunters did. She’d only survived because her mother had hidden her in a nearby lodge, sensing trouble had been coming.

He had originally hoped that his mother would adopt her, and while Melissa had been overjoyed at the prospect (despite the fact that she already had Alec under her roof), Lea had taken an immediate shine to Theo when he’d picked her and the Alpha up from the airport. And then she’d spent nearly the whole ride to Beacon Hills playing _I, Spy_ with Liam after they’d picked him up from their apartment.

By the time the pack meeting had ended and they’d tried to leave, wanting to make it home before it was too late, she’d refused to be left behind. Liam had taken one look at her, small fingers wrapped tightly around Theo’s wrist, his green eyes glassy with tears as he saw someone else in her, and known they couldn’t leave her. So, after much deliberation, weighing whether or not the boys could support her while finishing their senior year at Berkeley and working part-time, they’d ended up with Lea instead.

If someone had told Liam at sixteen when he’d been bitten that by twenty-two he’d be adopting a six-year-old werewolf with the man who’d tried to manipulate his whole pack and kill his Alpha, he’d have checked them into Eichen. Hell, if all they’d done was tell him that he’d be best friends and roommates with said murderous chimera, and that they’d be sharing an apartment and attending the same college together for four years, he’d probably have laughed in their face and sent them on their way.

And yet, here they were. And despite the fact that they’d never planned on having a third person in their small, two-bedroom bachelor pad when they’d picked it, they’d made it work. They had fairly opposite class schedules, which meant that someone was almost always home with Lea. She helped Liam with his history presentations; she got to listen to him read off all the names of places and point them out on maps. But she particularly liked it whenever Theo had a biology project, because it usually meant they had arts and crafts time together.

Mason thought it was hilarious that the big, bad chimera had been reduced to a giant, soft teddy bear in the face of a little girl. It pulled all sorts of heartstrings for Liam, who had a pretty good idea of _why_ his roommate had taken such a shine to her.

But then, they all had. It’s exactly why she was here with them in Portland. Because none of them had been willing to leave her behind. Mrs. Geyer and Melissa had both been more than happy to take her when Scott had called asking for them to look into the omegas while he was overseas dealing with a Nemeton, but the light had gone out in Lea’s eyes when they’d told her they might be gone for Christmas. Her lower lip had begun trembling, and a single tear had made it to her eyes before they’d caved.

It was dangerous; they knew that. They were putting her life in danger by bringing her along, and Liam’s pretty sure Scott would have their heads when one wrong move in this city could bring hunters knocking at their door. But everyone’s spirits were higher with Lea around. Corey found immense joy in turning invisible for her, Mason doted on her constantly and called her his niece, and Alec… well, Alec was trying.

It’s then that Liam realizes the young wolf is still watching him, waiting for something.

“It’s uh… it’s nice,” he tells him, blinking awkwardly. “It’s a little bright, though?”

“What Dunbar’s trying to say,” Theo interrupts, placing Lea back on her feet, fingers tightening around her little ones as she slips her hand into his, “is that it’s the kind of thing that draws attention. Maybe the _wrong_ kind of attention?”

Alec shrugs, his handsome face settling into faint lines of distaste. Liam wonders, sometimes, if he’s even aware of the expression on his face when he looks at Theo—always disgruntled, always a little bit offended by the chimera’s existence. He doubts it, somehow. He feels like the younger wolf would be better at controlling it if he did, but then, it’s not exactly like his distaste for Theo is a secret.

“It’s in character,” he says, waving a hand towards the front of the brownstone. The light leaking in through the windows is a putrid green. “We sell Christmas decorations, remember? That’s part of our front.”

It’s not, _technically._ Although Mason and Corey have both taken turns working in the shop as part of Argent’s safe house agreement, they don’t really have to. Keeping up appearances downstairs isn’t entirely crucial, but they’ve done it anyway, using chatter with customers as the best kind of recon.

There’s a slightly condescending tone in Alec’s voice, though, and Theo doesn’t miss it, sending him a glare over the top of Lea’s head as he crouches down beside her. For once, he stays blissfully silent, not pushing things further and goading Alec into a fight, the way he usually does. Liam’s grateful. He’s the Alpha when Scott’s not around, and with the chip on his shoulder, he thinks the other boy fancies himself his second, when he’s the furthest thing from it. It means that he typically gets _incredibly_ pissy when Liam takes Theo’s side.

Which happens almost always.

“You ready for bed?” Theo asks the girl, and she nods, despite being obviously disappointed. She doesn’t argue, merely squeezes his hand.

“Will you read me a story?” She says, gaze flicking to Liam over her shoulder. “Since you’re back on time?”

“Sure, kiddo,” and now Theo’s looking at him over her head of curls. “Want to go brush your teeth and one of us will be with you in a minute?”

Lea grins, trotting off obediently, and Liam moves to follow her down the hall. He’s idly aware of Alec hard on his heels, but he ignores him in favor of exchanging a look with Theo as they fall into step with one another. He’s about to ask him which one of them has story duty tonight when he comes to a sudden stop, staring upwards. Slowly, he turns to give Alec a look of wide-eyed innocence that immediately puts Liam on guard.

“We sell mistletoe, too? Hm, I hadn’t realized that was part of our front.” There’s a twinkle of mischief in his eyes, as Alec stops, too. His tone is more than a little sarcastic as he presses on. “What with it being poisonous to us, and all.”

Alec’s expression is nonplussed, but when it slides Liam’s way, there’s something furtive in it that fills him with unease, triggers his flight instincts _hard._ He can feel his cheeks heat. _Oh, no._

“Aw, man,” Theo continues. “You shouldn’t have. No, really, you shouldn’t.”

The younger wolf opens his mouth, maybe to argue or make some comment intended to put the chimera back in his place (as if he’d ever stay there), but Liam will never know which, because Theo isn’t finished yet. He never does unless he’s guaranteed the last word.

“But since you did…” Theo reaches out, grabbing a hold of Alec’s shirt front and jerking him forward before he can react. And then he presses his lips firmly to the werewolf’s, the corners curling up into a mischievous smirk. It lasts only a moment, but with the two clasped together barely a foot in front of him, Liam’s stomach does a strange sort of reversal. Something twists almost viciously at the sight, and his heart skips a single traitorous beat.

He’s not sure what it means, but doesn’t have the time to figure it out, because then Theo’s pulling away, staring straight down his nose at Alec. The look on his face is neutral, but his eyes are still glittering with amusement, just daring the younger wolf to say something.

His lips part, and for a split-second Liam thinks he might actually be that stupid. But then Alec clamps his mouth shut and shoots an embarrassed look his way, cheeks flushing.

“Merry Christmas,” Theo says lightly, patting Alec’s shoulder and turning to walk away before he could react. It means he misses the sudden furious colour that blooms across the beta’s face. _Anger this time instead of embarrassment,_ Liam thinks.

He shrugs, offering him a _‘what are you going to do?’_ half-smile before he turns to follow Theo, hurrying the first few steps to catch up to the older man.

The chimera shoots him a little sidelong look, mouth quirking up at the side in quiet amusement as he winks. “Someone has a crush,” he says, voice sing-song.

Liam snorts. “On you? Unlikely. He _hates_ you. And that was mean, by the way. It’s just going to make his opinion of you worse.”

“Eh. He’s a big boy. And you know I don’t really give a shit what he thinks of me.”

“Well, I do,” Liam says, sighing. “I’m Alpha when Scott’s not around, which means I have to deal with it if my pack members don’t get along.”

“Good luck with that,” Theo gives him another sidelong look, this one longer and more searching. “I wasn’t talking about me, by the way. You know he’s got a major hard-on for you, right?”

Liam sputters, eyes wide as he throws a furtive glance behind them. Theo knows full well Alec can probably still hear them. “W-What? No, he doesn’t!” Liam hisses, dropping his voice to a whisper.

The chimera rolls his eyes. “Oblivious as always,” Theo mutters, and he sounds a little bitter. “You probably don’t think the mistletoe was for you, either, do you?”

Liam feels his cheeks heat again. “You’re imagining things.” But he knows he isn’t, because he _saw_ the way Alec looked at him when they discovered the mistletoe. He feels his stomach twist unpleasantly with nerves at the memory.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I’m not,” Theo says. “At least not if the awkward conversation I had with him yesterday while you and Corey were out on patrol is anything to go by.”

This isn’t remotely a conversation Liam’s interested in having, yet he still finds himself asking, “What kind of conversation?” His tone is wary, careful. Theo’s answering smirk sets off all kinds of alarms.

“Oh, you know. He wanted to know whether or not he’d be stepping on any toes if he made a move on you.”

Hang on, _what?_ Liam’s eyes widen, his pulse icing and his heart skipping a beat. Theo breezes on, seemingly having not noticed, coming to a halt outside Lea’s room with a huff. His eyes roll skywards as he keeps speaking, a strange edge to his voice.

“As if he’d really give a fuck if he was. It sure as hell wouldn’t stop him.”

Liam’s pretty sure he resembles a fish with his mouth agape, but he doesn’t care. He’s far too busy processing the chimera’s words, repeating them on a loop in his head as if that’s going to cause them to make any kind of sense. Wrapping his head around Alec having a crush on him is difficult enough, though it _does_ explain the innapropriate level of hero-worship the younger wolf has for him, but then he gets hung up on the rest.

Why had he gone to Theo to ask permission?

Liam makes a strangled noise in the back of his throat.

Why had he thought he _needed_ permission? From _Theo?_

Sure, they lived together, but they’d done that for convenience when they’d chosen to attend the same university. They’d decided it would be far better than trying to find a roommate and explaining away their strange behavior once a month. Or more, if their penchant for troubled decided to follow them from Beacon Hills. And it made more sense than trying to adjust to someone else’s habits, when they’d already been used to one another, considering his parents had taken Theo in after the hunter war.

And okay, they spent the majority of their free time together, but they were best friends. Maybe not the way he and Mason were, but still. They liked the same movies, played the same games. They’d grown together after the war, Theo teaching him how to handle his anger, and Liam helping him in turn with his nightmares. And they made a good team, which meant they often paired off together for missions, like tonight. (Although, he wouldn’t necessarily call last minute Christmas shopping a mission.)

And then, of course, there was the Lea situation. They were, for all intents and purposes, raising a child together. A werewolf child. Who’d more or less chosen them by the force of her large, brown eyes and adorable pigtails.

Liam blinks.

He knows it’s silly. Theo clearly thinks it’s ridiculous. Mason and Corey would find it hilarious. But he supposes that from an outside perspective, of someone who doesn’t see them outside of monthly pack meetings, like Alec…

He gets how it might look.

“Um,” Liam says finally, returning to the present with his revelation. “And what did you tell him?” He’s already in this deep, so he figures he may as well ask.

Theo shrugs, but he gives Liam a peculiar little smile, one that’s harder around the edges than his normal ones and doesn’t reach his eyes. “Told him I had no claim on your affections. And that I was looking forward to watching him crash and burn.”

That much he can believe. Theo’s incredibly good at being an asshole when he wants to be, and clearly, that’s the mood he’s in tonight. His next words confirm it. “Still. Mistletoe? Fuck, is that really the best move?”

Liam’s brain helpfully supplies the earlier image of him swooping in to kiss the younger wolf, and he pulls a face. He tries very hard not to let the swell of bitterness—or disappointment—show. He has no reason for either, and he’s still not quite sure how he feels around the kiss. He thinks, maybe, that it’s jealousy. At least, the bitterness.

After all, it’s been so fucking long since he’s been kissed—really kissed—that he barely remembers what it feels like.

He’s dated, since Hayden. He hasn’t loved, not like her, but he’s gone out on dates. He’s seen people for extended periods of time, intimately. But he’s never tied himself down to someone for more than a few months, much to his mother’s chagrin. He just hasn’t found anyone to keep his attention focused. And he stopped bothering, after Lea. Between school, the kid, and being the Alpha whenever Scott is off saving the world or other supernaturals, well…He just hasn’t had the time or energy.

The disappointment, though, is surprising. And unwarranted.

Theo said it. He has no claim on his affections, and vice versa. He isn’t allowed be disappointed about that, he thinks. It’s not like it’s news—if he’d been interested, he’d have made a move before now. He’d certainly made plenty over the years they’d lived together whenever they went out with Mason and Corey, though he’d always been polite and never brought them home with him.

And if Liam’s thought, once or twice, about _wanting_ moves to be made, well, that’s his business.

“It’s still an asshole move,” the beta says mildly, bringing himself back to the conversation and hiding how much it stings.

“Funny, though,” Theo snickers.

So Liam changes the subject. “Do you want storytelling duty, or…,” he lowers his voice, making sure that Lea can’t hear him from her bedroom. “P-R-E-S—”

“She can spell, you know?”

He shoots Theo an irritated look, and the chimera grins back at him, lighter this time, the edge gone from his eyes, as though it had never been there. “I’ll get stuff out of the truck, you do story time. Deal?”

“Deal. As long as you start wrapping them, too. I have a feeling that _story time,”_ he makes little air quotes with his fingers, the same way he’s seen Theo do a hundred times before, “might last, oh, at least as long as it’s going to take to wrap those suckers.”

Theo’s eyes narrow into a halfhearted glare. “Now who’s being mean?”

Liam hums a little in answer, knowing he has the chimera just where he wants him as he slips into Lea’s room and beyond his reach.

* * *

Lea wakes them up first, slipping into the room at the crack of dawn and padding over to the bed he’d elected to share with Theo when they’d arrived to discover the safe house had a total of four. Mason and Corey had claimed the one off the computer room immediately, and they’d wanted Lea to have her own, so it had been normal that they’d ended up together. He certainly hadn’t been about to share with Alec, but he realizes, somewhere in the back of his mind, that this is probably another strange thing about their friendship he could’ve read the wrong way.

The little girl crawls up onto the bed and throws herself unceremoniously onto Theo’s back first, who wheezes out a breath as she knocks the wind from him. Giggling, she rolls off him and onto Liam, tapping her fingers against his chest as he smiles down at her. “Merry Christmas!” she shouts, and he watches Theo wince at the volume.

The chimera grunts, pulling the pillow over his head.

“Lea,” Liam says patiently, and she beams at him. “You know Theo’s a Grinch before his morning coffee, right?”

She nods, and there’s a mischievous twinkle in her eyes that’s all too familiar. He can’t help but laugh. “C’mon, why don’t we go make him some?” He slides out of bed, dragging her with him, dangling her feet off the ground a moment before he sets her down. “I’ll start the machine, and you can do the honors of getting everyone else, yeah?”

“Okay!” She grins, then zips out of the room at inhuman speed.

“Thanks,” Theo mumbles from the bed, voice muffled.

Liam smiles and slips from the room, throwing over his shoulder: “If you’re not up by the time she’s done, I’m sending her back in here.”

He cackles at Theo’s petulant groan.

An hour later and the whole safe house is up and abuzz. Corey’s playing with Lea in the other room, Alec’s in the shower, and Liam is sipping his morning coffee, going over the folders of the omegas they’re looking for. Mason and Theo (who is now a functional being after guzzling a cup of coffee) are making breakfast together in the kitchen. While the human whips up pancakes and fruit dishes, the chimera focuses on the meat and eggs—a strange complimentary dance they’d discovered one morning after Mason and Corey had come to spend a weekend at their place.

It’s incredibly domestic, their little set up, and Liam can’t help but smile at the sight of everyone working in tandem. He’d been worried about spending Christmas away from his family for the first time in twenty-two years, but he more or less realizes, looking at all of them, that he brought his family with him, instead.

There’s Christmas music playing out of Mason’s laptop and he’s singing along, bobbing his head, while at the stove, Theo’s dancing. Something in Liam’s chest tightens, a little flutter around his heart, and he tears his eyes away just in time to see Alec arrive in the doorway, damp hair low around his eyes. His face reddens when he spots the older beta.

“Good morning,” Liam says, and he knows from the look Theo shoots him from the stove that there’s probably something off about it. He ignores him. “Did you sleep okay?”

He knows the younger wolf has trouble sometimes in unfamiliar environments. It had taken him weeks before he’d started sleeping properly at the McCall residence, a side effect of being on the run. Alec makes a face at him. “It was alright.” He glances furtively into the other room, where there’s a loud thump, following by a small giggle. “Is breakfast almost ready? I think she’s getting antsy.”

Despite that, Lea’s as good as gold. She waits patiently for them to be ready after breakfast, barely needing the hot chocolate with whipped cream that Theo made her to keep quiet. She sits on the sofa in the living room, feet kicking back against the couch, eyes glued to the presents under the tree. She’s careful with her hot chocolate, sipping at it gingerly, having taken Liam’s request about not spilling any to heart.

They’d decided on presents, him and Theo, because they weren’t sure what her Christmas had been like, before. The other boys had been more than fine with it, and Mason said they’d planned on bringing their gifts along anyway. They didn’t know what sort of traditions she had with her family in Montana, if that was even where she was originally from, but they hadn’t wanted to ask her either. Or do anything that could bring up bad memories.

Argent would probably be pissed they’d used some of the mission funds on gifts, but one look at her huge, round eyes and excited face when she’d opened the first gift, a pair of ridiculous, fluffy wolf slippers Liam had fallen in love with and they’d known it was worth it.

It had warmed Liam’s heart to watch the way her face had lit up when she’d unwrapped the soft, stuffed coyote Theo had chosen for her, or her pleased smile when she’d carefully opened the covers of the illustrated Disney books Mason and Corey had contributed to her large Christmas haul. They’d probably all spoiled her, but none of them really cared.

Alec gives them all knitted sweaters he’d worked on with Melissa. From Mason he gets an autobiography from his favourite historian, while Theo gets a new cookbook. Corey gifts them both with a beautiful photo album filled with pictures he’s taken of Lea and their adventures since she came into their lives. Liam’s favourite is a photograph of her sitting on Theo’s shoulders the day they’d taken her to the San Diego zoo. It displays Corey’s artistic talent beautifully, and Liam’s never been happier that he chose to follow his creative passion at UCLA.

And Theo, well…

Maybe he just loses track. Maybe, with all the exchanges, he just forgets. But by the end of the morning, Liam is one gift short, having received a great big nothing from the chimera. He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even know why it bothers him anyway, and then Lea’s climbing into his lap to _ooh_ and _ahh_ at the pictures of them he ends up distracted.

But there’s an ache in his chest that serves as a pretty obvious reminder.

Christmas is a success overall, at least as far as Liam can tell. Enough so that he loosens up enough to smile at Alec during dinner when he takes the time to talk to Lea one on one. So what if he takes it as encouragement? He’ll deal with it if he does.

It isn’t like Theo’s interested anyway.

* * *

They find the omegas four days later.

One’s dead, but two are holed up in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Mason gets a hit on an old security camera, and they’re up and out of the brownstone in minutes. The human stays behind with Lea, who looks none too pleased to see them gear up and head out towards danger. Liam presses a kiss to her forehead on the way to the door, promising they’ll be safe, and be back before she’s even started to miss them.

He’s half right, in any case. It doesn’t take them long to find the two wolves, and to convince them that they’re there to help. They’ve heard about Scott McCall and his pack’s efforts to save and protect people from Monroe. They just didn’t think they’d ever need it, but they’re immensely grateful.

They’re on their way to the truck when the gunfire starts.

Liam curses, and feels heat at his back as a body covers his. He hears Theo grunt, and he glances up to see the flash of pain across his face. “Did you just—?”

“I’m fine,” the chimera snaps, but a moment later he cries out, and blood sprays from his shoulder.

Liam curses, and panic strikes at his heart. His hands come up to push at the chimera, herding him back into the warehouse as his pulse thunders in his ears. Alec rolls in behind them with one of the omegas, and then Corey rematerializes across the doorway with the second one. “Anybody hurt?” Liam calls to them.

The omega with Corey raises a hand, and Alec grounds out: “I got clipped.”

“Bad?”

“No.”

“Then watch the door,” he orders, and the younger wolf moves forward to do that. He focuses on Theo then, searching his face as the chimera lets out gasping little sounds, pale and etched with pain. His green eyes are panicked when they meet Liam’s, and it sends a wave of fear surging through him. “Where—”

His hands find it immediately, pressing into the sticky warmth of blood near Theo’s ribs. A breath wheezes out of him at the contact, and Liam has to resist getting angry at his carelessness. “The bullet was meant for me.” And Theo got in the fucking way, like he always does.

“Was it?” Theo smirks, but it’s pulled tight at one corner with pain. “Hadn’t noticed.”

“I heal faster than you—I could’ve taken it,” Liam says, even though he knows it’s pointless. They’ve had this argument a hundred times, and it always ends the same.

“Not when it’s wolfsbane.” Theo’s voice is level despite the way he seems to be fighting for breath. He looks down, fingers sliding over Liam’s where the shorter wolf is applying pressure to the wound. He scrambles for purchase, and then squeezes the werewolf’s fingers hard, like he’s trying to pull him closer and can’t quite manage it. Something sparks through Liam at the touch.

His unbloodied hand comes up to touch at Theo’s cheek, stroking his skin with his thumb. “You’re a fucking idiot,” he says, but there’s less bite to it than he intends. He’ll have time to be angry, later. Right now, he can hear boots thundering against the pavement outside, moving closer, and that means he needs to keep his head. “You need help digging it out?”

“No,” he huffs. “Kick their asses.”

So he does. He exchanges one look with Alec as he sidles up next to him, and glances across the warehouse to nod at Corey, and then they move.

He channels every ounce of anger and fear into his fists and claws as he assaults the hunters, dropping them like flies. The omega that isn’t injured joins in, but really, he doesn’t need to. When he’s this angry, this _scared_ about one of his own, Liam’s a wrecking ball with a singular purpose: _protect._ Monroe’s hunters know this—it’s why the first shooter had gone for him.

It’s why Theo had taken not one, but _two_ bullets for him.

Lea’s going to be pissed when they get back to the safe house.

* * *

By the time New Years rolls around, Liam’s exhausted.

He’s slept very little since the warehouse fight a day and a half prior. Everything had been a blur after Theo had gotten shot. He’d placed calls to Argent and Scott to figure out how to deal with the hunters, and where the omegas would go. Those he remembers.

But the aftermath in which they’d returned to the safe house, with a semi-conscious and bleeding Theo draped over his shoulder, well, most of that’s just a flurry of colours and sounds and panic. The problem with the chimera being the one to get shot and subsequently lose enough blood to pass out was that he was a Biology major. Which meant that on most missions, he was their fucking medic.

So Liam spends a fair amount of time pacing their room, on the phone with Deaton, growling and snapping at anyone that dares step foot inside. Except Lea, of course, who stays curled up at Theo’s side, refusing to move. Tears stain her cheeks, but she stays quiet, drifting in and out sleep with the chimera.

He’s as white as the sheets he’s laying on, and a fever causes sweat to glisten against his skin in the early hours of the morning. He’d gotten the bullet out of his ribs at the warehouse, but the one in his shoulder had remained until they’d made it back here, meaning that some of the wolfsbane had gotten into his system. Not enough to kill him, but enough to make him sick. And certainly enough to make Liam worry.

He knows he’s being ridiculous, this isn’t the first time one of them has had a close call like this, and knowing how they throw themselves into danger for one another, it definitely won’t be the last. Liam thinks back to that day in the elevator, all those years ago, two reluctant sort-of friends and allies promising that they weren’t going to die for each other.

He wonders if that’s when he started lying to himself about his feelings for the chimera, or if it came later, with the realization that the volatile boy had become his anchor. He isn’t sure, but he’s not doing it anymore. There’d been real fear in his eyes when he’d gotten shot, and that’s an image Liam just can’t shake. Because he’d _felt_ it, a visceral panic at the thought of something happening to Theo.

At the thought of their apartment, with his history books strewn about and Theo’s neater, organized textbooks (because he was surprisingly tidy for someone who’d grown up in the sewers and lived in his truck), suddenly being emptier. At the prospect of no longer waking up to the smell of pancakes on Sunday mornings, or being able to see the bright smile he reserves solely for Lea, that dimples his cheeks handsomely. Or the one that only surfaces when they’re alone, that twinkles in his eyes and that Liam knows is just for him.

He thinks of Theo’s earthy scent, and the way it’s calmed him down from many an anger episode. Of the way he styles his hair messily when it grows too long, and favors shades of grey or black, but owns this one green sweater Liam’s mother gave him his first Christmas with them that brightens his eyes. Of the way he hasn’t kept a partner for more than a few months, because none of them could ever measure up.

Of the way that he _has_ loved since Hayden, after all. It’s just taken him some time to realize it, to see it written there, clear as day, a neon thread running through their last few years together. To say it, in the dark, quiet of the room when both other occupants are asleep.

It’s the reason panic keeps a vice-like grip around his heart until Theo’s fever breaks late morning on New Year’s Eve. By the time his breathing evens out, Liam feels confident that the worst has passed, leaving him tired, a little ripe, and with a head swimming full of emotions he’s only just figured out.

He drags his sorry carcass from the room, headed for the coffee maker in the kitchen. He’s almost there when a little gasp to his left tells him he’s not alone. His gaze flickers there to find Mason seated at the kitchen table, the omega files spread out before him.

“How is he?” he asks after a moment.

“Out of the woods, I think,” Liam sighs, and it sounds so damn _heavy._ “Not well enough for me to kick his ass yet, but he’s getting there.”

“Liam.” He’s got that look in his eyes like he’s itching to give out unsolicited advice.

“I don’t want to hear it, Mase.” He chugs back the lukewarm cup, wiping at his mouth with his sleeve when he’s finished. “Where are the others?”

“One of Argent’s guys came by to pick up the omegas already, so Alec and Corey are down in the shop.” Mason motions to the paperwork around him. “I’m just finishing up a brief to send to Scott.”

“Thanks,” Liam winces, because that’s meant to be his job.

Mason shrugs. “You were busy. I figured with it out of the way, we could enjoy our last night here, instead of worrying. We don’t have to clear out of here until late afternoon tomorrow.”

He grins at his best friend. “Is that your less than subtle way of hinting we should take the night off?”

“I don’t hint,” The human laughs, and it’s full of delight. “I mean, it’s New Year’s Eve. We won this time. Your personal bullet magnet lived to fight another day. What’s not to celebrate?”

It brings something of a smile to Liam’s lips. “Yeah. We could do with a fun night.”

“Good.” There’s a mischievous glint to Mason’s eyes. “Because Corey’s actually on a liquor run, not downstairs.”

“Thank fuck,” a voice says, sounding thrilled, and the two men look up to see Theo standing there, hip cocked against the doorframe. Lea’s pressed against his left side, blinking blearily at them, hair falling out of her ponytail. “Best plan to wake up to.”

Liam’s eyes narrow into a frown. “You can’t get drunk.”

“There’s still wolfsbane in my system, that is _definitely_ something I can do,” Theo smirks. He ducks his shoulders slightly, and his cheeks flush. “If that’s alright with you, boss?”

Liam blinks at him. Something flares in his chest at the submissive gesture, something low in his belly that wars with the gentle urge to step up and ruffle his sleep-rumpled hair. He shrugs it off. “As long as you don’t expect me to hold your hair back.”

Theo and Mason exchange grins.

* * *

Apparently, it wasn’t just Theo that planned on getting drunk now that the chance had arrived. Mason had brought wolfsbane for everyone that wasn’t him. Just enough to mix in with the booze his boyfriend had picked up and give them all a good buzz. He says it’s because Alec’s never experienced it, and if the kid’s going to try it, New Year’s Eve is the perfect time.

Liam figures there’s no harm, at least until the younger wolf corners him in the kitchen when he’s getting another drink.

“Hey,” he says, shuffling awkwardly in the doorway.

Liam offers him a tight smile. “Hi.”

“You seem to be in a better mood,” Alec says, and the older beta realizes from the way his lips curve at the corner that he’s trying to joke. He winces at the implication.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” Liam grumbles into his cup. “I know I snapped at all of you, and I shouldn’t have done that. I’m supposed to be in charge—I’m supposed to keep my cool.”

“Yeah, well, it’s a little hard when Theo throws himself into shit like that,” he shrugs, but Liam can hear the sharp tone.

“This isn’t about him,” Liam frowns. _That’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told._

“Ah,” Alec says. “I guess Theo isn’t quite as special as I thought.”

He bites down the instinct to bristle at that, putting on his best imitation of Scott’s patient, serene face. “I would have been upset if any of you had been that careless, that reckless. I don’t like it when other people put themselves in danger for me. That’s not the kind of leader I want to be.”

Alec straightens up, smiling brightly at him. “For what it’s worth, you’re a great Alpha. I’m glad to have you.”

Liam shakes his head, suppressing the awkward tightness in his chest with a laugh. “Alec, I’m not an Alpha yet.”

“But you will be, one day. And I’ll be right there with you.” He had a nice, supportive smile, something warm and human in it. It just… wasn’t the smile Liam was used to, or the one that made him want to smile back.

“Look, Alec…” He pulls a face, because this is so not how he pictured having this conversation with the younger wolf, but realizing he sort of needs to. Especially if he’s going to have the _other_ conversation he needs to have, after this. “I’m sorry. I’m not interested in you like that.”

“What?” Alec blinks, back to shuffling his feet awkwardly and staring in his cup. “What gave you the impression that I was interested in you like that?”

Liam fights the flush that wants to rise in his face, clearing his throat and drawing Alec’s gaze back up to his. He forces the humiliation from his face from sheer effort.

He’s going to kill Theo if this whole thing was his idea of a joke.

“You did,” Liam says quietly, firmly. “Maybe I misread you, but that would also mean you didn’t talk to Theo about me. Am I wrong about that, too?”

“He told you, huh?” He ducks his head guiltily.

“He told me that you asked if you’d be stepping on his toes, yes.” It’s difficult to keep the irritation from his voice, to hold back on pointing out that no one but him got a say in his own romantic life. “You’d probably have been better off asking _me_ that question, though.”

Alec nods, mouth curling up in a rueful smile. “I’ll bear that in mind. He let me know that you were… available. Of course, he also told me that he’d break my face if I tried anything, which didn’t really give me the free agent vibe.”

Liam stays silent, but there’s a tick to his jaw, and his eyes flicker past Alec’s head at the sound of Theo’s laugh drifting from the other room, deep and hearty.

“Guess I wasn’t wrong about that.” Liam watches the light in his eyes dim. “Well,” he says, dragging out the word as he raises the cup to his lips. “It was worth a shot, Liam. You were, I mean.”

“Uh, thanks. I think?”

“It’s a compliment,” Alec confirms, backing away. His voice remains low as he says, almost wistfully: “You should probably tell him, y’know. Start the New Year as you mean to go on.”

Liam blinks. “What?”

“It’s something my mom used to say. I think it’s the same as starting off on the right foot, but it always sounded better when she said it.”

Liam watches him walk away, frowning as he mulls over the words.

He makes a decision a few heartbeats later, following him back out into the hall. He disappears into a room, and the click a moment after tells Liam he’s retired to his bedroom for the night. In the living room, Lea’s curled up on the couch between Mason and Corey, her new bunny clutched to her chest and fast sleep. Theo’s nowhere in sight.

“How’s she doing?”

“She’s fine,” Corey says, smiling fondly down at the little wolf. “Just a bit overtired, I think.”

Mason straightens the blanket draped over the three of them, careful not to spill the cup in his other hand. “She wanted to wait up to see the New Year in, but I don’t think she’ll make it.”

Liam nods, reaching out to stroke a hand over Lea’s soft, dark curls. “If she doesn’t wake up on her own, we’ll put her to bed.” He chews his bottom lip, the only outward sign of his nerves. “Have you seen—”

“He went up to the roof,” Mason says, and Liam doesn’t miss the knowing smile that stretches across his lips. “You should probably go find him.”

“We’ll watch her,” Corey adds with a grin, and Liam thinks they _definitely_ know something he doesn’t.

He narrows his eyes at them, but doesn’t ask anything more, nodding his thanks as he turns away. Liam snags the bottle of vodka from the counter as he passes the kitchen, glancing at the clock. Lea _had_ been close; the minutes to midnight are ticking down fast, and he’ll be damned if he’s going to see it in without a drink in his hand to toast it on its way. He takes the stairs at the end of the hall leading up to the flat roof.

When he toes the door open at the top, he spots Theo right away, leaning against the railing and staring out over the distant city. He’s brought one of the camping lanterns from the gear room up with him, and it’s set on the small bistro table, throwing off warmth but not much in the way of light, at least not from a distance. There’s enough to see Theo, the fluid lines of his body, the relaxed set to his shoulders, and the sleeping bag and pillow tucked into one chair.

“Hey.”

He turns at the sound of Liam’s voice, giving him a pleased little smile as he joins him. “Hi,” he says. “Thought I’d try and make it a bit cosy up here in case half-pint wanted to watch the fireworks.”

“She’s asleep,” Liam says, smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Fireworks?”

His face screws up in momentary disappointment before it smooths out again. “Yeah. City’s putting on a show at midnight, down by the river, but we should be able to see them from here.” He nudges Liam slightly with one shoulder. “Want to see the fireworks, Dunbar?”

“Sure,” Liam shrugs, watching the profile of Theo’s face for a moment as he turns to stare back out over the city. “I’m avoiding Alec anyway.”

Theo snorts, but Liam doesn’t miss the way his lips tighten at the name. He isn’t able to tell from his voice, though, which stays light and even. “Why? Is he after a New Year’s kiss? Hasn’t learned his lesson?”

“You could always teach it to him again, I suppose.”

He snorts again, more genuinely this time. “Once was enough, thanks. I can think of, oh, at least half a dozen people I’d rather kiss than him.”

It strikes him right in the chest, like a gut punch that knocks the air from him. Liam does miss the bitter tone to his own voice. “That many, huh?”

Theo’s eyes find his, then darken slightly as he watches the shorter wolf intently. “Maybe just one.”

Liam takes a swig from the bottle in response, trying to stop the way his heart starts beating a little faster at the look. “Well, maybe I’m keeping my options open. After all, what was it you said? Alec wouldn’t be treading on your toes?”

Theo’s voice stays even, while the light from the lantern dances across his face. “No, I said I had no claim on you. If we’re being accurate.”

“Really?” Liam takes another swig, feeling the burn of wolfsbane and courage right down to his stomach. “I thought—since we’re being accurate—you said you’d punch him in the face if he tried.”

“I told him I’d break his face, Liam,” Theo says, eyes glittering with genuine amusement. “I don’t think I specified the body part I’d use. Since we’re doing the whole accuracy thing.”

He’s unbelievable, sometimes, even if he is nearly as funny as he seems to think he is.

Liam opens his mouth, ready to tell him that he’s figured it out—how he feels, what Theo means to him—when the chimera drops something into his hand. Frowning, Liam looks down to see a small, black box, roughly the size of his palm.

His throat dries up.

“Relax, it’s not what it looks like! Jeez,” Theo barks out a laugh, loud and full of life. He reaches out, plucking the bottle of vodka from Liam’s other hand, his fingers brushing against the shorter boy’s. It warms Liam’s insides, and he ducks his head, smiling slightly.

He opens it to find a watch. The face is made of dark, tungsten steel, and Liam can see a leather strap disappearing into the inside of the box.

“I didn’t forget your gift, you know,” Theo says, clearing his throat with a cough. His voice sounds strangely light, and if Liam’s not mistaken, there’s colour dusting his cheeks. The chimera’s not looking at him. “I just… wasn’t sure it was appropriate to give this to you, in front of the others. In front of the new kid, in any case.”

“It’s a watch,” Liam stares, dumbly.

“Very astute observation.” He takes a swig of the vodka, smirking. “Might want to dig a little deeper.”

His brow knit together into a frown, but Liam plucks the watch from the box, letting it drop into Theo’s hand as he reaches for it. Carefully, he turns it over, examining every inch. The leather smells good, _really_ good, which means it’s real. And probably expensive. He goes to turn it back, to admire the watch face itself, when it catches in the light at just the right angle for him to see it. There’s an engraving on the bottom.

“Until the end of time,” Liam reads out loud. He frowns, looking up at Theo. “I’m confused.”

“There was a card, originally,” Theo says, setting the box and the vodka down on the table. It frees up his hands, and he cards one through his hair, mussing it. “With a number on it. 1460 days. It doesn’t make much sense now, given that it’s not Christmas.”

“What’s 1460 days?”

“The amount of days since I realized I was in love with you.”

Liam’s shoulders lock up, the breath whooshing out of him in a nervous little laugh. He doesn’t see a single hint of mischief in Theo’s eyes, only raw, brutal honesty. And fear. “What?” he squeaks, a small voice the only thing he can manage.

Theo’s lips turn up softly into a smile that dimples the way Liam likes, pulling at the scruff on his face. It’s warm, and a little nervous. “Our first Christmas at the apartment together. You woke me up at the crack of dawn to show me that you’d decorated everything, and stayed up all night wrapping.”

Liam remembers. They hadn’t been going to, originally. They were supposed to go to his parents, like the year before when they’d been living there. But his dad had gotten called into work for an emergency surgery, and his mom had chosen to drop by her office and settle a social case to ensure the kid involved had a roof over his head on Christmas. And, well, Liam hadn’t wanted it to ruin things for them. “I’d wanted you to have a good Christmas. You’d had so many bad ones over the years that I couldn’t bear the thought of another one going wrong.”

“I was so angry you’d woken me and tried to thrust Christmas cheer on me before I’d had caffeine, but the second I saw the way your eyes lit up like the lights you’d strung around the apartment, it evaporated. I didn’t care, as long as you kept smiling.” He gives Liam a searching look. “Do you remember what you got me that year?”

Liam nods, not missing a beat. “A piece of Kira’s sword.” His voice is barely above a whisper as he speaks, breathless. “I’d meant to do the year before, that first Christmas, but I wanted to ask her, first. And she didn’t come back until the spring.”

Theo chuckles, and hs breath ghosts over the tip of Liam’s nose. “Scott had already told me I was pack by then, and you’d said it more than enough times but… To be given a piece of it, the thing that could send me back down there, _to her…_ I’d never felt more accepted than in that moment.” His voice breaks, slightly, and Liam’s fingers twitch around the watch in his hands like he wants to reach out. “It meant everything to me, and I realized you did, too.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Theo shrugs. “It wasn’t the right time. You were seeing that guy, from your psych class? And, honestly, I wasn’t sure it ever would be. Right right time, I mean. I wasn’t sure if you’d ever—” His eyes flicker away from Liam, then back, and the beta catches a whiff of uncertainty, of fear. “I’m a very hard person to love, Liam.”

This time, the werewolf reaches out, fingers catching Theo’s as he tries to pull away and lacing them together. He squeezes. “You’re not. It just—took me awhile to realize.”

Theo huffs out a laugh, and the corner of his mouth tilts upwards. It looks less wounded than before, but still fairly self-deprecating. “Had to explore all your options, right?”

His fingers grip the chimera’s tighter, and he shuffles closer, knees knocking against Theo’s. “There hasn’t been another option in years, Theo. Not really.”

The smile softens into something more genuine. “I know,” he breathes. “There hasn’t been for me, either. Not for 1460 days, and—”

_Until the end of time_.

The meaning clicks. Liam opens his mouth to respond, to say the words he still hasn’t, when the dull sound of a cheer echoes from below and the sky to the east of them lights up with blue and red and gold.

The firework display draws his attention for a moment, and when he turns back, Theo’s eyes are warm in the lantern light, his hair shaded with the colours exploding overhead. “Happy New Year, Liam. Hope it’s better than the last.”

He grips the watch in one hand, and Theo’s hand in the other, and grins. “Happy New Year,” he parrots back, eyes searching the chimera’s face, memorizing the shadows and the curves, the shape of his nose and the angles of his cheekbones. It’s familiar and yet new, somehow, as though he’s never seen him before but still knows him on a deep, instinctual level.

When Theo leans in, Liam meets him halfway. His free hand comes up to cup the shorter man’s cheek, a gentle pressure that has him tilting his head, letting him deepen the kiss.

Liam presses closer, sliding out of Theo’s fingers to mirror his move, capturing the chimera’s face as his lips parted, letting him in. His mouth moved slowly over Liam’s, sending heat racing through him as he wrapped his liberated arm around his waist, pulling him closer.

Eventually, he broke away to look down at him, staying close enough for his breath to brush against Liam’s skin, warm and certain. “Well, this year is looking up already.”

The beta’s heart swells, threatening to burst with emotion as he watches fireworks flicker in the light of Theo’s eyes. “I love you too, you know,” he whispers, grinning. “I just thought I’d say it. To be sure.”

“That you felt it?” Theo arches a brow.

“That you knew.”

“Don’t worry, kid,” Theo says, kissing the tick in his jaw at use of the nickname. “I know. A little birdie told me.”

It’s Liam’s turn to arch an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Lea heard you curse it at me, apparently.”

Colour floods Liam’s cheeks. _I love you, you fucking idiot, so wake up so I can tell it to your stupid face. And then punch you. In whichever order is fitting._

“Oh,” Liam says, ears burning. “She heard me.”

“She did,” Theo smirks.

And then he closes the gap between them again, pressing his mouth against Liam’s, soft and sweet. The beta slides his hand around his neck, holding him there, kissing him back again and again, taking his time with each achingly slow kiss until he could feel the warmth of Theo’s touch in every part of him and he—finally—relaxes completely against him.

This time when he pulls back, the warmth in his eyes, the light there, rivalled any amount of Christmas cheer.

“Happy New Year, Liam.”

It was going to be.


End file.
